title: Decisional support throughout the cancer journey for older women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer: a single institutional study.
abstract: To determine if older women with early stage breast cancer have sufficient decisional support during their breast cancer journey, a questionnaire-based study was conducted at the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Women with stages I and II breast cancer, ≥60 years, were contacted upon completion of their adjuvant treatment. A questionnaire was developed based on focus groups, the literature, and consultation with patients and a multidisciplinary team of experts. The questionnaire was divided into six domains as follows: (1) information support surrounding diagnosis, (2) impact of cancer diagnosis on the patient, (3) quality of interaction with healthcare team, (4) decisional support from the healthcare team, (5) additional information needs surrounding treatment decision, and (6) information support during radiation treatment. Ninety-two of 137 patients approached were included in the analysis. Ninety percent were > 60 years at the time of diagnosis and 65% had stage I invasive breast cancer. The majority of women received adequate decisional support during their cancer journey. Approximately 90% of women indicated that they received a high level of support during their cancer diagnosis. We found no significant differences in overall decisional support based on age at diagnosis, education level, ethnicity, or the presence of co-morbidities. However, participants desired additional educational resources such as a worksheet, consultation summary, or workbook to assist in making a treatment decision. The majority of participants felt that they had sufficient support while making a treatment decision for breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada, M4N 3M5.
authors.forename: Roseanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Presutti
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: D'Alimonte
authors.forename: Merrylee
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McGuffin
authors.forename: Hanbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Pignol
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Di Prospero
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doherty
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiss
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Warner
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trudeau
authors.forename: Deb
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Feldman-Stewart
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harth
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Szumacher
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003657:Decision Making; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires